It’s hard to believe we are approaching the 1-year mark for James being at CALO in Missouri. There have been so many of you that have been praying fervently for him and our family, asking for updates, sending texts and emails, and supporting us along the way. We remain humbled and beyond grateful for the encouragement and support that we’ve received. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Since so many of you have asked, we wanted to take the time to provide a brief update.

James came home to Mississippi for a visit the first week of October. This was only his second visit back home since being at CALO, and it was special one. We were able to celebrate James’ 14th birthday together, and the visit was an overall win. We can definitely see the progress James is making, and we remain hopeful and prayerful about his continued journey. The most frequent question we get right now is, “when will James be able to come home for good?” As much as we wish we had an answer to this question, we just don’t at this point. James is progressing and working through the trauma of his past, but he is not quite at the place to come home permanently. Unfortunately, this journey is taking longer than we anticipated. However, we do know that he will be able to come home at Thanksgiving for another visit, and we are excited about it!

As we enter into this next month, we would love to ask for your continued prayers for James and our family. Here are three specific prayers we are praying right now for James:

1. That James’ identity would be built on God’s truth. We want all of the negativity, lies, fears, and doubts that have permeated James’ mind and heart over the years to be wiped away and erased.
2. That James would have the courage, discipline, and desire to lean in and continue with the various treatments/therapies. We don’t want it to be about “checking the box.” We want heart transformation and true healing for James.
3. That God would nurture and grow the attachment and bonding for our family, despite the geographical distance between us.

We love you all and can’t express enough our gratitude to each and every one of you. Thank you for loving us so well and for being prayer warriors for our family. We are continuing to trust God in all of it!

-Adam, Ashley, & James